Happy midweek, my friends!
Today is my day off, which meant a walk in the woods. Do you also head outdoors on your days off? Even if the weather is less than ideal? Let’s hear it for nature walks in the rain, the cold, the wind, the heat and humidity.
To paraphrase John Muir:
Every single walk we take in the natural world offers us more than we expect.
This, however, brings up a bit of a problem.
When I go on a ramble, my phone is almost always in my pocket because I can’t resist taking pictures. I’ve been trying to break myself of this habit for some time now. It’s ridiculous how many nature shots are stored in my phone. Too many. If I see something pretty, the urge to capture the moment, to put a frame around it, is nearly irresistible.
I aspire to something different. I want to be present to nature in a simpler way. Not mindlessly snapping photos of every little thing I see. That dilutes the experience and—ironically—separates me from the very moment I’m trying to preserve.
For today’s walk, I left my phone in the house. I was determined to explore the natural world with only my senses. No iDevice. My goal was to be in the moment instead of on the lookout for my next great shot.
Well … you guessed it. I saw so many beautiful things that when we finished our walk, I went inside and got my phone. Then I retraced my steps (a second walk! yay!) and took the photos.
I don’t have the answer to this problem. Nature’s beauty seems so ephemeral, so fragile, that I expect I’ll always have the urge to capture it while I can. What if I’m diagnosed with a serious illness next week and my walking days are over? What if my eyesight fails? What if my forest burns to the ground? What if the Earth herself burns, even sooner than we fear?
Every moment is precious. Every tiny framed portrait is a treasure.
In that spirit, I want to share with you a gallery of photos I’ve taken recently (so they’re all winter scenes). If it’s too cold where you are—or too anything—to go outside today, please consider this your nature therapy session, with my compliments.
Come walk with me … and let’s revel in the beauty.
Here’s my favorite bend in the creek on our land. The water level is high right now, because we’ve had a lot of rain. I actually prefer this scene in winter, when the creek’s sinuous curves are so starkly visible.
Where I live, these slender, frothy stalks are blooming everywhere on the roadsides. When sunlight hits them, they’re candles flickering in the wind. After admiring them for at least two months now, I finally pulled my car to the side of the road one day and waded into a ditch so I could take this close-up and hopefully ID the plant. No luck. I’m still not sure what it is—some kind of native grass, I guess. Bluestem, maybe? I just know these roadside candles make my heart sing.
This amazing formation caught my eye on a hike in the state park near my home. I call it “Marriage of Tree and Rock.” We’ve all seen tree roots growing around boulders, but this … this … is complete fusion, the physical union of two sentient souls. I could hardly believe it.
Who says winter is colorless? My husband took this picture out the car window as we were driving away from Devils Fork State Park. I believe it’s winterberry, a native Ilex (holly). So pretty, and a source of food for many bird species during the cold months.
On New Year’s Day, in my own version of a First Day Hike, I climbed to the top of the mountain behind our house. Last New Year’s Day, I tried (and failed) to get up there, so this time I was determined. It’s not a particularly tall mountain, but the climb is steep. The only way is to get on your hands and knees in the leaves, and pull yourself from tree trunk to tree trunk. At the steepest parts, you’re literally lying flat on the ground as you haul yourself up. Incredibly aerobic. This is the photo I took on the summit, when I could finally stand upright and look around. Not quite the 360-degree view I had hoped for, but … I made it.
This is from today’s walk, between rain showers. I was so eager to capture those pearls of water, I didn’t see the gossamer strands of spiderweb until I downloaded the photo.
I don’t know what’s more breathtaking, the chiaroscuro of the bare tree branches or the Monet canvas behind them. Winter sunset … such a hymn of glory.
How many shades of green can we count here? I’m always trying to capture the electric jolt of mosses and lichens popping out of the brown forest floor. They’re the stars of the season.
Behold a mountain spring, tumbling into our creek after heavy rains. The flow is not normally this abundant. In summer it’s a shady, emerald green oasis—like a scene out of “Lord of the Rings.” I may eventually trim some of those vines hanging down … or not.
Gratuitous photo of my cat, Cleo, doing her favorite thing—accompanying us on our woods walks. She loves climbing trees, whether horizontal or vertical.
And now, one last image of something small and special—a marcescent beech leaf, holding onto a single, life-giving droplet of rain.
Thank you for going on this winter stroll with me, friends. I hope you’ve enjoyed it, and I hope you’ll have your own walk in nature soon. May you be well!
I love this photos!
It will not surprise you that I take exception to this paragraph:
"I aspire to something different. I want to be present to nature in a purer way, a simpler way. Not mindlessly snapping photos of every little thing I see. That dilutes the experience and—ironically—separates us from the very moment we’re trying to preserve."
I've been told that as well - but it simply isn't true for me and I do not think it's true for you. When I have a camera - including my iPhone camera - I pay much more attention. I look very closely and deeply at what I'm seeing. Sometimes I lose track of everything except what I'm photographing. I feel the excitement and the love of being with the non-human beings. Nothing about that is less "pure" or "mindless". At least for me it is the opposite. I'm so tired of the spiritual idea of "pure".
Like you, I seek the outdoors whenever I can. Most days, I walk in nature and always feel better for it. Thank you for sharing your walk with us. (BTW… on Instagram @kimnelsonart , I share “Scenes from Today’s Walk” in my stories several times a week. So much beauty in this world!!